Heartstrings
by Cyan Rubies
Summary: ... tugging on them aren't necessarily a good thing- especially not if you think you are a trainer in the making. After all, some things are just better left alone. [OC-centred]
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, but I do own any OCs I use. This is rated T for swearing and other plot aspects and set a couple of years before the events of the Ruby/Sapphire arc in the manga. You have been warned.**

 **Feedback is also much welcomed.** **Here's to a train wreck.**

* * *

Heartstrings

...

When I was six, I made the mistake of meeting my best friend. He was the one who got me into pokemon training as he stuffed rose-coloured lenses over my eyes and shared with me his desire to be a trainer.

I still remember the way his eyes lit up as he talked of travelling the world, conquering all his obstacles and being the best of friends with his pokemon. Training, without a doubt, was his life ambition, and it soon became apparent that there was no other path for him.

To me he was older. Wiser. And I looked forward to seeing him everyday.

 **.**

When I was seven, I went over one day, but he wasn't there. All I knew was that his Gran still worked at the Pokemart nearby, but couldn't remember where her grandson had went to.

She was a quiet, lonely woman, who lived alone in her little house next to the Pokemart. I remember a small pool a little ways from the house- it was small but peaceful. I liked it immensely, and visited the pool more than I visited her.

 **.**

When I was eight, I gave up nearly all hope of finding him, knowing that he was now ten and more likely than not a trainer now. With my luck, he would have been halfway around the world by then.

 **.**

When I was ten, I set out to do what he wanted to be. I even had my whole life planned out, knowing full well that dreams didn't mean success, but thinking that he had done the same when he was younger. That was enough for me.

 _Step one: Run away._

 _Step two: Get myself a pokemon._

 _Step three: Build up my Dream Team. First there would be the customary Hoenn starter pokemon, of course, then there were the other pokemon I had my eye on- salamence, dusknoir, you name them!_

 _Step four: Become the champion of the Pokemon League._

 _Step five: Get married._

Disappointingly enough, only steps one and two were completed- _technically_. It wasn't running away if your mother left the back gate open on purpose and I didn't really get myself a pokemon if Professor Birch was expecting me in the first place. And admittedly, I wasn't as enthused for the last one as the rest (it seemed terribly boring)- not to mention, steps three and four were shamelessly copied from the Others, anyway.

But I was curious.

(' _How would he react if I became the Champion instead of him?_ ')

 **.**

When I was ten-and-two-weeks old, I met him again at last. I certainly didn't regret wandering into that route 116 on that day. What I did regret, however, was not knowing that finding something again didn't mean that you really got it back. Foolish, naive and stupid, I continued on with my journey, not knowing that I was practically walking on blindfolded into the vast, black mouth of a sharpedo.

But I've said too much, haven't I?

 **.**

… hello.

My name is Merinda Evans. You might know me as that kid in your neighbourhood who watches from the sidelines, who seems nice but never has any friends. You might have thought me creepy, once or twice, but you would never say it to my face.

Then there are also those who call me Rin, but most of the time they do it out of convenience rather than affection of any sort. According to them, Rin is shy and awkward, but inherently kind. Everyone likes her, or they think they do. The thing is, everyone remembers Rin, but no one remembers Merinda. Weird, too-quiet Merinda.

(' _Would I be one of them in a few years?'_ )

Moving on, a goal would normally imply that I know what I want in life, but bluntly put, I really don't. As of now, I'm just a pokemon trainer- one who was entrusted with a torchic and a Pokedex, then sent on their merry way with a pat on the back and some vague well-wishes.

... please take care of me.

.


	2. Chapter 2

...

There are days with sunshine and daisies, but

being worn-out and toiled, Time decided that

today would not be that Day.

Instead he said this:

Beware the roads; be warned of the enemies lurking

in the shadows, on the trees, and under your beds.

But most of all beware the one hiding within the pits of your mind, for

in the Daytime it smiles, but when Nighttime comes it will

Smother. You.

...

* * *

Chapter One;

The day I left, my mother dragged me to the Pokemart, stuffing my bag with first aid supplies for pokemon and humans alike.

I remembered thinking that this was probably her way of keeping me safe, though if I had just used my eyes a little more, I would have noticed the fact that she was actually just plain worried about me. But alas, I didn't, and now I was stuck here thinking that I should feel just a tad bit more guilty for not saying goodbye to her.

I did say goodbye to Gran, however- in her old age, she remembered faces, not names. She probably just thought of me as her grandson's friend who was leaving, just like him. A few years down the road, I would probably end up one of her faceless customers, and even with her old age and failing memory, Gran still was the woman in charge of Petalburg's own Pokemart- though there were a steady stream of part-timers who assisted her from time to time. One may have questioned if putting a mini-mart under the management of an old lady was a wise choice- but Petalburg was a peaceful, quiet place, and Gran continued working behind the register because it reminded her of the old days.

Later on in the day, I found myself making my way over to the small pool beside Gran's Pokemart.

I never did like lingering in that shop for too long, and not to mention, the pool was just simply the best spot in the whole town. It wasn't uncommon to see me seated at the edge of the pool by myself, staring at the occasional goldeen which swam past. My mother must have thought me strange, for all the other kids played make-believe and pretended to be Champions and Masters. Leaving all this behind felt surreal, and I somehow wished that I had cherished the time here more.

Remembering the over-packed bag on my bed made me realize one thing- I really did not want to leave Petalburg.

Becoming a trainer was an important rite-of-passage to many, but not me- not when it meant leaving Petalburg behind. It was essentially a death trap, especially when it involved self-important pompous kids running around and thinking that they could rule the world. Was I one of those kids, perhaps? Probably. I didn't really care, though- I just wanted my best friend back. If I managed to fulfil my five-step plan in the process, it would just be a bonus.

Brushing off the dust from my pants, I snuck back into my house. The scent of freshly ground coffee wafting through the air was the first thing I registered as my footsteps fell to a stop in the hallway, and for some weird reason, my heart sank.

' _Mom just woke up from her nap, then_ ,' was the thought that popped up in my mind as I slipped upstairs, taking care to avoid the creaky floorboards, before grabbing my bag and heaving it into my shoulders with great effort. I wasn't craving coffee, and I felt like I wouldn't be able to bring myself to leave if I stayed for any longer.

So I did the logical thing- I just left.

Surprisingly, the backdoor was unlocked, and easily I stepped out onto the main road. It reminded me of all the other times I left to take a walk, only this time I had the weight of my backpack on my shoulders and the knowledge that this would be the last time I stepped foot in this house for a long time.

It turned out that I _was_ one of those self-absorbed kids, after all, for conceitedly thinking that my escape had been discreet in the slightest. How did that conclusion come by, you ask? See, hours later, as I plopped down on the ground, aching all over and feeling absolutely winded, a crinkling sound caught my attention and I swung my bag around to see a sticky note. Not just any sticky note, mind you. It was a sight for sore eyes, being bright pink with my mother's exasperated-sounding scrawl written over it.

I stared at it long and hard.

'W _as that the best you can do, kid? Don't get too far ahead of yourself. Call me the moment you see this_.'

I didn't call her. My finger hovered over the 'call' button for a good five seconds before my mind drifted. Should I have marveled at the fact that my mother knew what I was going to do, or should I be more amazed at the fact that the sticky note actually managed to stick to my bag for the whole day? As you could probably tell, I had my priorities straight.

Well, I digressed- with my mother's blessing and only three more steps left to go, it couldn't be all that bad, right?

I was sorely wrong.

Raising one pokemon was already hell. I didn't know how I would deal with this thing, much less an army of what I quoted to be 'hella strong pokemon'. Well, one had to start with the basics, I guess.

"Ack- torchic, no!"

The little fire-type bird had decided that it had grown tired of walking and had quite literally clawed its way up to my shoulder. I grimaced as I remembered our first meeting and instinctively reached out to rub away the charred marks on my face from its earlier Ember attack. A little wince also escaped me at the sight of puncture marks left on the side of my jacket and my jeans, courtesy of the terror known as torchic's feet.

Still, as I tracked down the path away from Littleroot to cut through my hometown, Petalburg, I couldn't help but feel oddly invigorated as I clutched at my over-packed bag, the torchic I just obtained balanced precariously on my shoulder. Heck, Professor Birch even gave me a shiny new device called the Pokedex. Apparently it was his first model, and while I was certain that the novelty would wear out soon enough, it did make me feel like a somebody.

This was something, wasn't it? I made it to Littleroot without a pokemon, and now that I did have one, I could venture through the more dangerous woods to head to Rustboro. Progress was, after all, a nice thing to keep track of.

I made it back to Petalburg quick enough, but this time I stopped to take a peek into the Petalburg Gym, holding my Torchic, who was very much content to lay snoozing in my arms. The little rascal had gotten tired of standing on my shoulder, and was now enjoying a free, effortless ride.

"Ah, if it isn't Rin." A voice broke me out of my reverie and I stumbled away slightly, letting out a small squeak at being discovered. Blinking, I looked up and gave a small lopsided smile, however, as the resident Gym leader, Walter chuckled down at me.

"Heya, Mister Walter." I grinned.

'Mister Walter' in question had been the gym leader for as long as I could remember- with his team of normal type Pokemon, he was nearly unbeatable in my eyes. With hair that much resembled salt-and-pepper, defined lines under his eyes and pointed features, he would have looked intimidating if not for the fact that he coddled over his normal types like they were babies. There was also the black bowler hat which sat atop his head- one that I highly suspected he wore to hide his receding hairline.

"Going off to challenge gyms, I see." The man remarked, inspecting the torchic in my arms, and I was hit with the impression that this wasn't the first time he had seen off trainer hopefuls. "Torchic? A fine choice indeed. Say, have you given the little guy a name?"

"A name?" I questioned, staring down at the sleeping torchic in my arms. I was pretty certain that he had seen more than enough torchics in his lifetime, but it was nice that he was still taking interest in the lives of young kids. "Is it really necessary?"

"No, but I would recommend it." He responded simply, peering at me over the top of his glasses. "Giving them a name makes you closer, and it saves you a lot of confusion- I've seen plenty of torchics, see, and you wouldn't want your pokemon to get confused in a battle, would you?"

(' _Ha, called it.'_ )

He did have a point though, and I frowned at the bird in my arms, half-hoping that a perfect name would pop up in my head automatically. Maybe some cool, exotic name which would give it luck, or something. The names which popped up to mind first went along the lines of 'Fireball' and 'Blaze', both showing the sad state my creativity was in.

As if it could sense that it was being talked about, the said torchic jolted awake and stared up at Walter with wide, imploring eyes. I half expected it to fire off a barrage of Embers on sight of a stranger, but apparently it knew who was deserving of respect and who was not-

\- did I seriously just roast myself?

"Ah, that's a nice look in its eyes," Mr. Walter commented, looking contemplative, and I vaguely made out a gritty sound as he scratched his chin in thought. "Have you tried using your Pokedex?"

After a few failed tries to use the small machine correctly, and getting a few more affectionate Embers in my face, I found out that my torchic was in fact, a male. Staring down at the pokemon, who was mercifully not attempting to burn my face off. Instead, he was now nuzzling against my arm, causing his orange feathers to become fluffy and ruffled. As it was, he was probably was pleased by the attention it was getting, and I giggled at the sight of the torchic puffing out his chest- so it could be cute when it wanted to be.

"You know what?" I told the pokemon. "From now on, you're going to be called Chilli."

Chilli- annoying and more than I can handle at times, but otherwise still lovable. I inwardly snickered at that, almost feeling proud that the nickname was pretty spot-on. Sensing that I was poking fun at him, he nipped a little at my finger, but otherwise he seemed to be fine with being named after a spicy plant. Now that the naming business was settled, my mind wandered as my eyes landed on battlefield behind Walter.

"Could I y'know, challenge you?" I blurted out from pure curiosity, and as if I had cracked a particularly amusing joke, he burst out in laughter.

"If I remember correctly, my gym is apparently ranked fourth in the circuit- or at least, that's what you youngsters call it nowadays," the man wiped away a stray tear as he wheezed. "Come back after you kick get three badges, little lady. Now, if you would excuse me..."

Walter made his back into the gym and quickly disappeared from sight, leaving me to wallow in my embarrassment alone.

I slapped my red cheeks. It would have been so much easier if Walter's gym had some kind of Easy Mode which I could challenge right away, but then again, the order of the gym leader circuit was practically sacred and unchangeable in the books of any Hoenn trainer- and that included me, of course. I sighed.

Jerking my head stiffly, I hastily set off- for real, this time, sparing the direction of my home a final glance before I hurried off into the great unknown. After all, I would have to defeat three gyms before I had a reason to come back- I wouldn't be back here in a while, and that really sucked.

' _Here's to a smooth journey, and not getting my face burned off.'_ A voice drawled dryly.

I made a face at that. Chilli, deciding that he wasn't a fan of my face after all, promptly sent a barrage of Embers at me.

My face was burned; my hair was on fire, and the rascal responsible for it just fell asleep.

... cheers.

* * *

A/N:

Do remember to tell me what you think so far! Thanks for reading;)


	3. Chapter 3

Camping was in no way fun.

The novelty off setting up something to build and sleep in wore off after the first five minutes. More often than not, I was better off finding a dry spot to unroll my sleeping bag and sleep; my tent often collapsed before I could use it.

One thing that I learnt quickly? Don't set up fires in the middle of forests. You might be grateful for the warmth, but you certainly would not be grateful for the hoards of pokemon which get attracted towards your campsite.

Which led me to my next predicament:

All the pokemon loved me.

At least, that was the pathetic way I attempted to comfort myself as two wurmple fell into my path, dead black eyes staring unblinkingly at me. Then they promptly began crawling towards me creepily, advancing on me as one may advance upon a particularly tasty meal.

One look at the pointy, and definitely venomous barbs on their backs told me that they weren't exactly the cuddliest.

Hastily I called out, desperately scrambling away. "Chilli, use Ember!"

The torchic was more than happy to oblige, as more of the deceptively cute bug pokemon appeared. In other words, I was getting swamped as more pokemon began to join in the party.

Seizing a stick, I swung and frantically batted away the offending worm-like pokemon which tried to Tackle me. Random wurmple began to fall upon me from nowhere and somehow, even angry poochyena began to chase me.

Should I laugh or cry? I had no idea at all what I had done to offend them but I highly suspected that the answer would have been ' _your existence_ '. Spotting an opening in the massive ranks of the wild pokemon, I bolted for it and Chilli followed suit.

Fortunately, fighting against all the wild pokemon meant that Chilli had gotten a lot of training. But at the same time, that meant that he was going to get defeated sooner or later.

A Poison Sting from a wild wurmple promptly knocked Chilli off his feet, and with a small yelp I scooped him up in my arms and bolted away.

I had more than enough potions in my bag, no doubt, and some antidotes to boot; but there was no point in trying to administer them when there simply wasn't the time to do so. Yet I knew that I couldn't possibly be running away forever.

What should I do? Climb up a tree? That would take care of the poochyenas, though the wurmple would just climb on up. Find a lake to hide out in? Then what, become water pokemon food?

My saviour came in the form of a tiny and light brown pokemon. It Tackled the poochyena sneaking up on me with a small growl, and I gawked in open awe as the pokemon surprisingly backed off.

The wurmple, recognising the show of dominance, immediately began to back off- it went without saying that ther species in general were weaker than the local poocheyena, much less this strange creature thatcjust scared away one. The only advantage wurmple had would be their venomous nature and the fact that they existed in colonies, not packs.

Then the brown creature turned upon me. My heart began to lurch as it began to approach, moving closer and closer...

Instinctively, I backed up into a tree, not wanting to get mauled by the brown pokemon. But then it simply stepped forward and nudged my fallen bag until the Pecha Berry I picked up not too long rolled out, and it contentedly helped itself to the pink berry, barely paying me any attention.

I stared on incredulously. Then I fixed up Chilli with a potion, all the time acting like having a wild Pokemon eat out of your bag was the most normal thing in the world.

* * *

It didn't take too long for my first battle to come.

It was against a Bug-type user. His wurmple (I shuddered at the sight of it) didn't stand a chance- especially considering that it had crawled off to feast on some fallen berries halfway through the match. Chilli stood throughout the battle and stared off boredly, firing off Embers at the wurmple casually.

Truth to be told, I would have liked for more first battle to have been more memorable, for the lack of a better word. More _epic_.

Chilli and I were now making on way through Petalburg Woods, determinedly avoiding eye contact with the Bug trainers present.

It was a dark, gloomy place, filled with the like of bug pokemon and more than once getting creeped out by the red stares of cascoons. Hearing a twig snap behind me, I jumped up in fright before turning and sighing at the sight of the pokemon following in my footsteps- the same zigzagoon with caramel stripes which just refused to leave me alone.

"Listen, I don't have any more berries for you," I stated under my breath lowly, for fear of attracting any unwanted attention. In return, the zigzagoon simply stared up at me, its head cocked to the side. From beside me, Chilli pecked at my arm and gave me a pointed stare.

"I can't take you along," my voice was firm. "I have my dream team that I want to catch and train, and I-"

I was cut off as the zigzagoon bounded forward suddenly, fixing me with another wide-eyed look. It began to whimper, wide black eyes quickly turning watery. To my surprise, even Chilli joined in the guilt-tripping, pointedly refusing to respond to my beckons and instead staring at the strangely-coloured zigzagoon before us curiously.

I furrowed my eyebrows. Was this some unique form of comraderie between pokemon? Something along the lines of ' _Hey, bro, thanks for saving my ass and stealing our food! Please join our team!_ '

Things remained that way for a while as I stared at the zigzagoon. It was true that it had saved me and Chilli, and it did seem to have gotten attached to me, somehow. Surely it wouldn't hurt to bring him along?

At last, I relented.

"... fine. Just get in the ball."

The caramel-coloured Zigzagoon eagerly bumped the Pokeball I rolled onto the ground, and with a small flash of light it disappeared into the ball with a click.

Picking it up, I stared at the device blankly. The fact that I had caught a pokemon for the first time hit me, though I doubted that other pokemon would be so willing to join my team. Even saying that I 'caught' this pokemon was just loosely putting it.

"Well," I spoke to the ball softly, thinking of the little critter's pretty caramel-coloured stripes. "I'll call you Snickers."

Chilli let out what sounded suspiciously like a snort, and I shot him a dirty look. Ruffling its feathers, (and earning myself a small nip on the finger in the process) I promptly scooped up the small bird into my arms and hurried onwards towards Rustboro City.

.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **So there's a new addition to the team!**

 **Don't forget to oeave a review and tell me what you think so far. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

The woods were a hellish nightmare.

At one point, after trekking on for a whole day, all that greeted me was a dead end- not wanting to risk getting lost by straying off the path, I had to backtrack and get back on the right direction. The sheer number of bug pokemon made me shiver- that was enough wurmple, silcoons and cascoons in my lifetime.

One thing I learnt? _Never_ light a fire in the woods. The warmth and the light would be terribly tempting, but it was just not worth it- not unless you want wake up in your tent to darkness in the middle of the night, only to realise that the the lack of light wasn't because the fire had been put out, but because there were literally a swarm of bugs crawling over your tent.

That thought still sent shivers down my spine.

Needless to say, I wasn't sad to see the last of the woods. Seeing the end of those tall, withering trees and yellow stares of wild pokemon was an instant mood-lifter; I had never in my life been so glad to see buildings, roads, and people- every mark of civilosation.

Making my way to the Pokemon Centre, a sense of relief befell me as the automatic doors opened and I was greeted with a refreshing gust of cold air.

(Hell, I'd taken everything, especially air-conditioning for granted.)

After being stuck in the woods for the past few days, persistently training in the humid atmosphere and trying to find my way out, the Pokemon Centre was certainly a welcome change. The first thing to cross off my to-do list for the day was to get a shower (a _proper_ one, I might add) and a rest in a nice, fluffy bed.

With that said, the past few days had not been completely unfruitful, however- Chilli had managed to learn various moves such as Sand Attack and Peck, while Snickers had managed to learn Headbutt.

The zigzagoon was rather strong, if I had to say myself. Chilli was still small, his orange feathers still having the smooth quality of a young pokemon. He now was fond of shoving sand into my shoes with Sand Attack, much to my chagrin.

For some reason, the three of us tended to attract a lot of attention wherever we went- it was understandable, at any rate. With the rise in crime and gang-related incidents, the number of journeying trainers were decreasing at an alarming rate, much less the number of teainers starting out. The mortality rate was expected to increase until the situation settled- there was a reason why my mother had been reluctant in letting me go out on my own journey. I wondered what made me so persistent on setting off on my journey so quickly.

 _'Don't forget the List_.'

Now that it was mentioned, I was certain new trainers just had this _aura_ around them that the older generation could pick out on, like a Poochyena sniffing out lies. Call me proud or whatever, but I wanted to complete my bucket list and lose that 'new trainer' vibe as soon as possible.

As my body slumped against a seat after passing Nurse Joy my Pokemon and successfully managing to snag a room here, it then dawned on me that Rustboro was home to a Gym Leader who had Rock-type Pokemon. In other words, Chilli, whom I had planned on using, was definitely at a disadvantage here.

Noting a dusty looking sideroad near the end of the town, it was out of desperation that I went to take a look.

That was the prime reason why I found myself reluctantly trudging out towards Route 116 to see if I could find myself more Pokemon who could hopefully be of some use against the Rustboro Gym.

But never did I expect Route 116, which looked deceptively peaceful, to be so utterly _chaotic_.

I blamed the Whismur.

The pokemon came in hoards. Small, purple, innocuous-looking, with little squinty eyes and a shy disposition... sounds cute, right?

Nope; not at all.

They had the most uncanny fondness for the move Uproar, meaning that I had to recall Chilli to prevent him from suffering permanent hearing damage. Not to mention, I was currently trying to avoid a hoard of Whismur who seemed attracted to me for some reason. There were even the occasional addition of nincada into the mix (great, more bug pokemon!)

Recalling the terrible, horrid mix between screaming and nails on a chalkboard, a shudder shook through me as I carefully parted the bushes in front of me to step through.

It was like Petalburg Wood all over again. The whismur kept finding me for some reason, leaving me to mull in my confusion over why pokemon wouldn't just leave me alone. Geez, what kind of pokemon god had I offended?

I bet that I've just been doing something wrong these past few days.

Running around and generally fearing for my life, I ducked behind a conveniently-placed tree- and nearly screamed as a hand clamped itself over my mouth. Before I knew it I was being dragged away into the bushes.l by an unknown force.

Panic overcame me immediately as my breathing grew shallow.

I flailed, slapping the offending hand off my mouth and somehow ending up more terrified- was there someone who was potentially trying to kidnap me? Or maybe even do worse?

I didn't want to think about it.

Wide-eyed and scared witless, I looked upwards and blinked as I took in amber-coloured eyes and immediately stopped struggling. Instead, my eyes grew comically wide with recognition. Disbelief.

It took me a while to register the entire situation.

" _N-Nate_?" My voice left me in a rush as the familiarity of the situation crashed down upon me.

Leaves in his hair and scratches on his face, Nate Kauffman grinned down at me in all his glory. His unruly dark hair fell into his eyes as he stared down at me- he looked travel-worn, taller and older.

Awestruck, my mouth hung wide open.

"Hey, Rin." He smiled. "You haven't changed."

All this while I thought I would have to scour the world, but here he was, less than two cities away. I'd expected mt reunion with him to go many ways, but who would expect that it would play out like this?

At a loss, my mouth clamped shut as a stunned silence rang prominently between us.

 _'Well, that was easy.'_

 _._

* * *

 **A/N:** **Rin not thinking things out, and meeting Nate along the way.**

 **What do you think so far? Don't forget to leave a review letting me now what you think.**


	5. Chapter 5

Seeing the dark-haired boy after so long was a shock to me- especially not after he ditched me so long ago. As a result, I didn't really know how to act around him.

Biting my lip, my eyes fixed onto Nate curiously. "You've somehow gotten more annoying. What happened?"

If possible, the grin on his impish features widened as he pulled out a badge case and let it fall open. He tilted it a bit, and a gleam of light caught and reflected off the trophies within.

Badges. Eight of them, in fact. My jaw fell open.

"That's so _unfair_ ," I murmured, disbelief filling my tone. "You just happen to be two years older than me and now you get to challenge the Elite Four first?"

"That's the way it works, sweetheart." He replied smoothly, a touch of smugness in his expression. "You'll catch up in two years, anyway."

A small scowl formed on my expression.

"If you're so experienced, what are you doing here, anyway?"

"Ah, you remember that I moved, right?" He brought up. I scoffed at that- 'remember' was an understatement.

"Yeah, I went to your house one day and only your Gran was there." My eyes flickered over to his unimpressedly as I shot him my best ' _what the hell, man_?' expression.

"Sorry," he had the decency to look ashamed, at the very least. "It slipped my mind?" He let out a bark of nervous laughter.

"It's fine." A smile begrudgingly tugged onto my lips. It wasn't like I could ever succeed in staying mad with Nate, anyway. Though that might not have meant much much, considering that he was also one of the few who could piss me off. "I'm over it- you were saying?"

I was certainly _not_ over it, but admittedly I was just butthurt over suddenly being left all alone.

Nate recovered quickly, running a hand through his dark hair. "Well, the thing is, I moved over to Rustboro. I'm staying with an uncle, see. And now I'm trying to catch a Whismur for Gran back in Petalburg, because she's nearly going deaf and she wants some company."

"Wouldn't a Whismur make her y'know, more deaf?" I wondered aloud, and he snorted in response.

"She just wants a pokemon she can hear, and the Whismur around here generally have a nice temperament." He paused. "When you're not around, that is."

"I actually don't know why pokemon hate me so much." A sigh escaped me, knowing that he was referring to how I had gotten swamped by wild pokemon once more. Nate perked up in interest at that.

"They do? That's interesting- pokemon normally ignore you if you don't disturb them first." He hummed in thought, before a thoughtful expression crossed his face.

Suddenly, Nate was leaning in. My shoulders stiffened as he gave a little sniff.

( _That was not weird at all_.)

His eyes lit up in comprehension as his fingers gave a snap. "You use perfume?"

"Yeah," came my wary response. "What about it?"

"Did you know that perfumes are made primarily from the Sweet Scent used by grass pokemon?"

"... oh."

"Yeah, pokemon's sense of smell are much more developed than humans. Mind if I drench you?"

I could only assume that he wanted to wash the perfume off me and simply shrugged in response. He called out a swampert which proceeded to pelt me with a watered-down Water Gun. Lowering my eyes, I shook off some of the water and sighed, before sending him a questioning look at the interesting shade of red on his face as his eyes remained fixed stubbornly on my face.

Shifting around, I couldn't help but feel self-conscious and confused at his sudden behaviour.

Suddenly Nate tore off his black jacket and handed it over to me, determinedly not meeting my eyes. I didn't get the message until I glanced down at the drenched tank top I was wearing.

"White shirts and water don't mix, huh?" I found myself giggling as I then threw on the jacket he threw me without hesitation. It was a bit too big, however, and the sleeves ate up my hands and hung by my sides in a swishy mess.

"Shuddap, Rin," Nate grumbled, yanking his jacket hood so it was covering the top of my head "Let's go, then."

We somehow got separated by the Whismur hoard, though the deceivingly small and purple pokemon didn't seem to be particularly attracted to me anymore, much to my relief. Instead, I wandered around the route, wincing as a couple of Uproars rang out shrilly from behind me- something told me that Nate was engaging the Whismur.

I continued my search for pokemon, not feeling particularly picky- as long as they weren't angry, Uproar-using critter and could help against my fight against Roxanne, I didn't have much preferences.

Stopping at a clearing, my breath hitched as I caught sight of an Abra, sitting contentedly on the ground. I knew that they were impossibly hard to capture- not too mention, they were psychic types and could evolve to be strong. _'Strong'_ was good for the Dream Team.

I was sold.

Enlarging a Pokeball, I silently snuck forward and chucked it at the psychic pokemon. It sailed through the air, perfectly on course- that is, until the Abra in question decided that its current napping place wasn't comfortable enough. With a turn, it vanished, reappearing atop a tree branch several metres away.

Dismay shot through me as my Pokeball fell into the bush behind it. Running forward, my hands parted through the bush, feeling quietly horrified at the sight of the Pokeball glowing red, shaking and giving out a small click.

What the heck had I just caught?

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ಥ_ಥ

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"Hey again." Nate slithered up to my side, his expression smug as he brandished a Pokeball in his hand. The round device rolled about on his fingertips smoothly- it was obviously an object that was not a danger to him.

"Got yourself a Whismur?" I questioned, eyeing the Pokeball warily.

"Of course." He rolled his eyes, though his mouth was parted in a grin. "Caught all of them and kept only the one with a Mild nature. Gran's going to love her."

I had no idea if I should have been impressed, or ticked off at his blatant showing off. Was he even trying to boast? He did it so naturally that I could hardly tell.

Nate sent me a glance, amber eyes not missing the new pokeball in my hand. "What about you? Got your pokemon?"

"... yeah." I admitted. "But I haven't taken a look at it yet."

His eyebrows knitted together, clearly perplexed. "What do you mean, 'haven't taken a look' yet?"

"I was aiming for an Abra, and when I found my Pokeball it had caught something else." My cheeks burned in embarrassment, but Nate didn't seem to notice.

"C'mon! Take a look!" He reached over to take the Pokeball from my hands and I squirmed away from him, relenting as I dropped the Pokeball in my arms.

There was a bright white light, and my eyes focused on what had to be a small, snoozing kitten lying on the dirt ground before us. My heart immediately melted as it straightened up and stood on its little stubby legs, tilting its head. It stared up at us through slitted eyes and let out a small mewl.

"Oh gosh. It's- _she's_ adorable," I couldn't help but reach out towards the small skitty.

"Well, it's not a whismur, at least," Nate remarked from his spot next to me, peering down at the small kitten with a muted interest. "Normal types aren't very strong, though- just saying."

The adorable image of the skitty was shattered, however, as it promptly straightened up, opened its mouth and let loose the most shrill, horrible noise. Immediately, my hands slapped over my ears and I shot Nate look of pure horror, quite literally screaming over the uproar.

"How the _hell_ does it know Uproar?!"

"Its mother probably got friendly with a Whismur," came his mortified response as he winced. "Please make it stop."

Picking up my new Skitty's Pokeball, I approached it, extending my arms and trying to look not the least bit intimidating.

"Hey, hey skitty," I crooned softly, reaching into my bag and bringing out a handful of Pokemon treats. "I'm going to be your new trainer from now on, okay?"

The noise abruptly stopped as Skitty cautiously eyed my handful of treats and- bless Arceus- accepted the food offering. It contentedly curled up at the base of my feet after rubbing its head against my hand, looking deceptively quiet and peaceful.

I stared at it contemplatively as it nuzzled against my finger- my eardrums were still buzzing from torture they were subjected to earlier.

"Skittle," I decided. "How do you like that name, Skittle?"

Skittle mewled once more. All of a sudden, she jumped up and proceeded to curl up atop of my head, snuggling under Nate's hood and patting about my brown hair like I was a makeshift bed.

Surprisingly enough, I wasn't all that upset that the Dream Team had been taken down another notch- I was _so_ going to train up Skittle and make her one hell of a normal type pokemon. Together, the four of us were going to take down Rustboro Gym, type disadvantages be damned.

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A/N:

Do you see that trend going on in the Pokemon names?

Also, Rin and Nate interactions here. I'll probably be doing a lot of ship-teasing, though I doubt this story will ever delve too much into the 'romance' aspect.

I'm also a bit confused about whether or not to capitalise pokemon names. I'll try to keep the capitalisation more consistent next time.

Don't forget to leave a review telling me what you think of this chapter. I'm especially curious to know what you think about Nate and Rin as characters. Thanks for reading!

-C


	6. Chapter 6

Needless to say, I was surprised when Nate showed up outside my room a few days later, a wide, contagious grin on his face.

I didn't like where this was headed.

"We're challenging Roxanne, of course," he tugged me out of the room, bedhead and all, and I scowled at the back of his head. "I actually want to bring you somewhere after this, so you'd better not lose."

Promptly, I twisted my way out of his grasp and disappeared back into my room. It was seven in the morning, and I was not doing this.

I emerged ten minutes later, nonetheless, as the thought that Nate would be left on his own struck guilt into me.

"Excellent!" He beamed up from his perch outside the door, before grabbing me by the shoulders and steering me out of the Pokemon Centre.

"Just so you know, I was planning to train again today." I frowned. He waved me off easily.

"Roxanne takes it easy on new trainers- she uses her most low-levelled Pokemon," he stated, coming to a halt outside the Gym.

I sighed softly. "When did you get so pushy?"

"Ever since you became a trainer." ' _Like me,_ ' went unsaid, and I decided to humour him. "It's my job to help out the rookies, after all."

He said that, but somehow I knew that he wouldn't have given a damn if I was someone else. Ignoring his comment, I raised a hand and rapped at the doors, and shortly after, a Gym Trainer opened up, suppressing a huge yawn.

"Miss Roxanne is going to _love_ your enthusiasm," the man before us stated drolly, and the sarcasm didn't go unmissed. "And you're back, too- I should have known, who else is crazy enough to get up at this hour?" The older man commented, raising an eyebrow at the sight of Nate.

With an unceremonious shove, we were now inside the Gym. The battlefield was sandier than what I was used to, but other than that there seemed to be no one else about.

"Normally, I would be the one fighting you first, but my Pokemon are on a break," the Gym trainer stated seriously. "Aren't you lucky? You get to suffer miss Roxanne's wrath first thing in the morning!"

"Thanks, Nate." I muttered. An angry Gym Leader was the last thing I wanted.

He let out a laugh, running a hand through his dark hair. "Don't worry, she absolutely loved me!"

"She loved seeing the back of you, that is," the Gym Trainer scoffed, before he proceeded to get to work on the battlefield, patting down the rough edges with a worn-looking shovel. "You wiped her out with a damned Mudkip."

"It's not my fault that my Martin is a tough cookie!" Nate protested, looking almost genuinely offended.

"Jonathan, I think we all agree that I am over that." A new, feminine voice chose that moment to interject, and I immediately turned around.

Roxanne walked out onto the field, brown hair decked out fabulously with a pink ribbon as her tinted pink eyes silently eyed us. She looked nice enough, but the tenseness of her shoulders, the circles under her eyes and her barely-suppressed yawn were screaming that she wanted to sleep.

"What brings you here, Nate? You already have my badge, and I don't remember asking for a rematch," the Gym Leader pointed out, barely stifling another yawn. It was then did Nate decided to push me into view fully, and it was all I could do to keep myself from stealing Jonathan's shovel and digging myself a hole in the ground.

"You've taken to terrorising newbies?" Roxanne stated, eyes flickering with a sardonic amusement, looking almost sympathetic for me. Now that I thought about it, she couldn't have been much older than me- she looked at most five years older than me.

Nate looked mildly put-off.

"Nonsense, she loves me! Isn't that right, Rin?" He promptly sent me a hopeful puppy-eyed look which made me feel embarrassed to be associated with him.

"I can't deny that," I sighed. He didn't seem to pick up on the fact that I only said that to humour him, however, as his eyes lit up and he childishly sent Roxanne a smug grin. In response, Roxanne muttered something under her breath which sounded suspiciously like ' _Arceus help us if this guy becomes the new Champion,_ ' and I couldn't help but let out a chortle.

Step five in my bucket list (getting married, that is) was too far down the list, anyway- meaning that I was practically not interested in any of _that_ right now. I was also pretty sure that Mom was the one who made me put that on the list, and solely for the fact that she did not wish to die without grandchildren.

"Take your place at the opposite end of the field, then," the young Gym Leader sighed, deftly stepping over to the opposite end of the rocky field. She raised her first Pokeball with a sort of grace I could never possess, and I silently was in awe of the way she carried herself.

"This will be a two against two battle. The moment a Pokemon is unable to battle, it would have lost."

I selected my first Pokemon. The plan was to use Skittle and Snickers, considering that they were less affected by the type disadvantage Chilli held. My hand ended up resting on Snicker's Pokeball, and I swallowed slightly before stepping forward to toss the ball onto the field. But somehow, one of my legs had fallen asleep and I ended up nearly tripping over myself.

Stone-faced, I straightened back up and continued like nothing was wrong, ignoring the loud snickers ( _damn you, Nate_ ) coming from the stands.

"Snickers, let's go." I stated, feeling like I was going to puke all over the painstakingly fixed up battleground.

My eye-catching Zigzagoon had already materialised, and he looked perplexed at the barren battleground before him. His coat looked like it was shining, caramel stripes reflecting in the harsh lights of the Gym.

"Geodude!" Roxanne called out, and what looked to be a round, mean-looking ball with spindly limbs appeared on the other end of the rocky grounds. The rock pokemon looked well, like a rock.

The Gym Trainer, Jonathon took a moment to survey the lokemon we had sent out, before calling out almost lazily. "Battle begin!"

There was a moment of silence, and I realised that both Roxanne and I were anticipating the other to act. As if realising this, she called out an order.

"Rock Throw!"

All at once, the various pieces of rubble began to rise up into the air, positioned to be hurled towards my defenceless Zigzagoon.

"Run towards the Geodude and then use Sand Attack!"

He obeyed my order- sort of. I meant for him to avoid the rocks altogether, not for him to treat the rocks as some sort of aerial parkour and use Sand Attack like he was saying 'in your face!'

"Tackle!" Snickers used his gathered momentum to smash himself against the Geodude and backed away innocently moments later. The small rock pokemon was quickly knocked backwards- it sent Snickers a particularly nasty glare and scrambled back into position.

"Defense Curl!" Geodude curled up tightly, as if it was trying to squeeze itself into a cube.

I felt like being irritating in that moment, so I called out the order that came to my mind without another thought. "Tail Whip!"

Almost immediately, Geodude slumped over, its increased defense having just been negated.

Roxanne promptly shot me an unimpressed look, calling out. "Tackle!"

In what to had to be a stroke of good luck, Snickers was barely hit as it knocked out the Geodude with a well-aimed Headbutt. Roxanne returned the Geodude and fished out another Pokeball.

"Nosepass, let's do this!"

A much larger pokemon now stood amidst the rocks. I called for Snickers to Headbutt the other pokemon. He did so without complaint, bounding up to the other pokemon with a surprising eagerness. Nosepass was knocked backwards and Snickers leapt away in triumph.

But he had grown complacent over his previous victory, and quickly went down with a nasty-looking Rock Throw. Returning Snickers, I looked down to release Skittles- only to freeze as I made out the only other pokeball in my bag to be Chilli's.

The realisation that Skittles was still at the Centre hit me like a ton of bricks. I had been planning to pick her up from Nurse Joy after I woke up, but Nate's unplanned arrival had completely wiped that from my mind.

Cursing softly under my breath, I reluctantly pulled out Chilli's pokeball, my hands feeling clammy with sweat. My small torchic stood on the field, looking incredibly out of place in the dirt and the sand. The hopeless feeling within me grew almost suffocatingly.

"Tackle." I instructed. Chilli showed no sign that he heard me, only fixing me with a flat stare- almost as if he was goading me to get my act together. From across the field, I could hear another Rock Throw being ordered, but my thoughts were speeding now and leaving me in a blur.

If Chilli was hit more than twice, this would surely be over. The prospects didn't look hopeful at all, but somehow Chilli looked more confident then ever.

Staring at my starter pokemon, understanding abruptly dawned upon me as I slapped my hands against my cheeks and shook away my reservations. I breathed.

"Don't let any of those hit you!" my voice was shaky and loud, and I lowered my voice so that only Chilli himself could hear me. "Use Peck whenever you get the chance."

Chilli moved at last, beak glowing with a white light as he attacked the larger nosepass, and I smiled- I had forgotten that Peck was super effective against rock types. My starter pokemon came trotting towards me five minutes later, the feathers on his chest puffed out with a silent smugness; a gigantic, scary-looking nosepass was knocked out behind him. As Roxanne handed me a TM and a shiny badge, the Torchic clawed his way up to my shoulder, and for once I didn't complain- all I could do was to blink in comprehension.

Looking up and catching Nate's grin, I stared at the thing in my hands. I had- no, my _pokemon_ had just won me my first badge.

This was going to take some time to sink in.

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 **A/N:**

Nate speeding up the gym process a little- he also terrorizes gym leaders. Rin freaking out even though Nate nearly cuased an accident. Also, I live for a young, sassy Roxanne.

Let me know what you think in the reviews~ Feedback is dearly appreciated!

Thanks for reading ;)

-C


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